Tying down a load in a vehicle, although it may seem mundane to some, is very important to the proper functioning of society. A load loosed upon a highway is a great danger to motorists, and many serious injuries and deaths have resulted in a load loosed from a leading vehicle flying through the windshield of a following vehicle. Even if a load is loosed upon a highway in one out of every million hauling trips, this still represents too high of a danger to those traveling by road. As of the time of filing of this application, several attorneys across the country specialize in law suits concerning loosed loads, thereby showing that this is an all too frequent and damaging occurrence.
One issue facing those who must tie down loads is avoiding the situation where a sharp corner of a tied down item results in a sawing action on a rope or strap, thereby potentially weakening the strap to the point where it fails on that hauling run, or a subsequent run. Another issue is assuring that the load is tied down with sufficient tautness and force that it will not work its way free. If there is an element of the load that could be engaged, such as a handle, it is helpful to engage such an element so that the load is positively retained and cannot under any circumstances work its way free.
Although there are many known corner protector devices, they are generally directed to protecting the goods being transported from damage from a strap in a specific environment (e.g. hauling lumber by train), rather than protecting the strap from damage from the goods. This means that for loads of materials that are very hard, such as steel plate, there is no device that is itself strong enough to be used to protect the strap from damage and that is also easy to place at the correct point, and can also be used for other tie-down tasks.